South Korea ex-president Lee appeals 15-yr jail term

SEOUL: Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will appeal a court verdict that last week sentenced him to 15 years in prison for corruption, his lawyer said yesterday, reports AFP.

Lee was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement charges — becoming the latest of the country’s former leaders to be jailed after leaving office.

The conservative politician, who helmed Hyundai Construction before his election to the presidency, was separately ordered to pay a fine of 13 billion won ($11.5 million) by the Seoul Central District Court.

The court found that Lee, 76, was the de-facto owner of DAS — a controversial auto parts company which he claimed belonged to his brother —which he used to create a slush fund worth around 24 billion won.

He was also found guilty of accepting nearly six billion won from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman, who had received a suspended jail term for tax evasion.

 

South Korea ex-president Lee appeals 15-yr jail term

SEOUL: Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will appeal a court verdict that last week sentenced him to 15 years in prison for corruption, his lawyer said yesterday, reports AFP. Lee was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement charges becoming the latest of the countrys former leaders to be jailed after leaving office. The conservative politician, who helmed Hyundai Construction before his election to the presidency, was separately ordered to pay a fine of 13 billion won ($11.5 million) by the Seoul Central District Court. The court found that Lee, 76, was the de-facto owner of DAS a controversial auto parts company which he claimed belonged to his brother which he used to create a slush fund worth around 24 billion won. He was also found guilty of accepting nearly six billion won from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman, who had received a suspended jail term for tax evasion.